Another Bachmann History Flub: The American People Are Worried About ‘The Rise Of The Soviet Union’

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Of all the candidates vying for the GOP presidential nomination, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) perhaps has the most colorful record of flubbing historical facts.

Just this week, she wished Elvis Presley a happy birthday…on the day he died.

But today, on the right-wing Christian attorney Jay Sekulow’s radio show, the congresswoman evinced a far more disturbing lack of basic knowledge about world history. Specifically, Bachmann said the American people are worried about “the rise of the Soviet Union.”

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6 Surprising Facts About Yuri Gagarin's First Spaceflight (VIDEO)

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Fifty years ago on April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, ushering in the era of human spaceflight.

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10-YEAR WAR IN AFGHANISTAN CONFOUNDED THE SOVIET UNION

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Six years into its decade-long war in Afghanistan, with thousands of soldiers in their graves, the Soviet Union was still confounded by the traditions and terrain of the hardscrabble nation.

In recently translated documents, former President Mikhail Gorbachev admits:

''If we go on in the same way, we'll have to fight for another 20-30 years! They'll soon be calling it the weird war. In six years, we haven't learned how to fight there.''

The Soviet War in Afghanistan, also known as the Soviet–Afghan War, was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan at their own request, against the Islamist Mujahideen Resistance.

The Afghan government was also supported by India, while the mujahideen found other support from a variety of sources including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and other Muslim nations through the context of the Cold War and the regional India-Pakistan conflict.

The initial Soviet deployment of the 40th Army in Afghanistan began on December 24, 1979 under the leadership of Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev.

The final troop withdrawal started on May 15, 1988, and ended on February 15, 1989 under the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Due to the interminable nature of the war, the conflict in Afghanistan has often been referred to as the Soviets' Vietnam; in relation to the Vietnam War.

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Afghan war at 8

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The fighting in Afghanistan marked its eighth anniversary Wednesday.

On Oct. 7, 2001, U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan to dislodge the ruling Taliban.

The underlying cause of the military action was to punish the Taliban for providing haven to al-Qaida leaders, including Osama bin Laden, who supposedly ordered the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

U.S. President Barack Obama met with congressional leaders Tuesday to discuss strategy for the next phase of the war. Some Democrats say the United States should consider cutting back troop deployment, a move Obama says he's against.

It is believed military commanders are requesting an additional 40,000 troops to augment the 68,000 the administration has committed to the fighting.

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